It’s Ridiculous How Much I Love Denver, Part 1: Coffee Shops and Bakeries
Welcome to the Denver Coffee and Bakery edition of Being Better!
I’ve kept a list of some of my personal favorites around Denver, from coffee to sandwiches to dessert and activities to do in between. Here I’m going to expand on that list, giving short reviews and descriptions to make your life easier as you navigate eating and doing around Denver. I got started and realized I’d have to write separate blogs for each category, making it easier for you AND me! Yay! So read on for a list of my tried and true coffee shops and bakeries in the Denver metro area.
*I’m going to try and update this regularly. I’ll definitely be adding more pictures as I can, turns out I don’t often take pics of these?? What? Anyway, last updated May 18, 2026.
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Your Guide to Denver Coffee Shops and Bakeries
There are sooooooo many coffee shops and bakeries and hybrid coffee shop/bakeries, and even coffee shop bakery plant shops in the Denver area, I could never get to all of them. Here’s a shorter list to choose from if you’re like me! (please keep in mind I usually make my black coffee or my regular espresso shots at home, so going out for coffee is for getting something flavored or fun.) I’ve broken these up into neighborhood for ease, and don’t you dare come for me fighting on the neighborhood. I SAID ISH!
Central Denver(ish)
St Mark’s Coffee House is in Uptown and has greattttt coffee and food. They’ve got all sorts of bagels and pastries to choose from. I really like their coffee and lattes. They’ve got a bunch of seating inside and out, and great vibes, like you might want to sit and write there.
Queen City Collective Coffee has a list of seven locations across the Denver metro. The ones I’ve been to, I really like the vibe. Better even, I really like their coffee! Even their black coffee, which is rare; they do roast their own. Great for working on the computer, reading, or just stopping in for a cuppa and leaving.
Cafe Tres is in Five Points and it’s a Cuban coffee shop and bakery! They’ve been around farmer’s markets for as long as I can remember, and a big favorite around Denver. They’ve got pastelitos (sweet or savory puff pastries) and Cuban espresso. So glad to have this Cuban influence available to us!
Crema is RiNo and super popular. A cutie building and some fun lattes and pastries, as well as food food you can order like burritos and sandwiches. Can also be spendy but that’s what you get when you do coffee and a meal. A nice stop in the morning. Lots of seating inside but also fun to grab and go walk around RiNo.
Middle State Coffee is on Santa Fe juuuust South of 6th and it’s somewhere I’ve been a couple times over the years. They’ve got some really great lattes as well as awesome burritos with salsa. They’ve got art inside and it’s cute! Indoor seating or grab and go. There’s a second one on W 32nd.
West of Denver (ish)
Get Rights. Let’s get into a long-time favorite of ours! We’ve been going for quite a while, and by now they’re a Wheat Ridge/Denver treasure. One of the absolute best bakeries, pastries and sandos and soup and pizza and gelato (in the summer) all handmade. Don’t expect coffee but you can run next door for some! Get one sweet thing and one savory thing!! Outdoor seating, and be strategic with when you go because there can be a large line! But it’s also nice to stand in the sun and smell the smells lol.
Onto is in the Belmar neighborhood in Lakewood. It’s fairly new and we visited because we’ve got a friend that works there. They pull from Asian flavors; we really love the Black Sesame Latte and the Egg Salad Spam Sando. No like really love. It can be a bit spendy but tbh it can all be spendy (When I say that I just mean each item is $10. They’ve got fab indoor seating with great light and spots outside as well. It’s just so cute too. Mmmmm.
Vinh Xuong Bakery off W Alameda is such a place. Get the meat pies. Get a banh mi. Get a Vietnamese iced coffee. Thank me later. There is seating inside and out and it’s basically in the parking lot of the GW Market if you need anything. They have the coolest pitcher planets.
Moonflower Coffee off Colfax by Sloan’s Lake is a gas station turned coffee shop! This place stays busy. Housemade syrups, pastries from Black Box Bakery, and burritos from Onefold, oh my! They’ve got cute indoor seating and outdoor picnic tables. A staple for the neighborhood.
South of Denver(ish)
The Molecule Effect is a great coffee shop in the area. There were two, but with the one off Logan and Alameda closing, there’s just one over on South Broadway. I always enjoyed their signature lattes a lot. I think I’ve eaten a burrito there once. Nice to sit in or take out. They’re also a wine bar and art is all over!
Stella’s Coffee Haus is in the Wash Park area, on South Pearl Street. A classic, I feel like this place has been here for so long. They have great coffee options, actually good and fun flavors. They’ve got some pastries too. Also, this place has the vibe, there is so much indoor and outdoor seating with different chair options, great for reading or computer work or quiet conversation or just relaxing.
Devil’s Food is a bakery in the Wash Park area, on South Gaylord Street. YUM! Oh this place is special and so so good. Pastries, coffee, tea, and not much space inside but so perfect. You can grab what you want after mulling it over in line, then take it across the street and sit in the sun on a bench. Highly recommend!
Donuts Town is our go-to donut spot. It’s run by a family and these are some of my favorite donuts. They’ve got all the classics you’d want. They also have some drinks available like milk or Diet Coke or orange juice. Oooo the way a half dozen donuts from here will fix you! Fluffy and fresh-baked and perfect. Plus I love a boston cream or cake donut and they rock those too.
East of Denver(ish)
Dandy Lion Coffee Co. is run by the brother of the owner of Vinh Xuong! It’s is a coffee shop AND plant store. I love to get Vietnamese coffee here (lol, I really like it!!) and a stroll around the plants and trinkets and stickers and rocks. Great vibes, there’s a couple swing chairs, cool seating arrangements, enough space but cozy.
Ruby’s Good Shoes is a newer place up in Park Hill that’s already won the best croissant in Denver award. We’ve only been in for pastries and coffee which were incredible; those pastries are top tier. But, they’ve also got breakfast that we’ve been dying to get back there for. Will update! But also the next guide will be breakfast…so…
Padoca Denver is a Brazilian cafe that we’ve been going to for their snacks and a cup of black coffee or an americano or something. It’s so cute with seating inside but also a park kitty-corner that you can go sit in or walk around. Our favorite snacks are the pao de queijo (cheese bread), coxinha (chicken croquette), risoles presunto (ham and cheese croquette) and risoles carne (beef croquette). They also have sandwiches on the menu that we haven’t even made it to yet. And those chocolate truffles…
Elemental Bakery & Coffeehouseis over in York Street Yards, so if you find yourself out there or want to drive just for this, it’s great! I like their selection of drinks, coffee and not, and they’ve got sweet and savory treats available too. The monkey bread is sooooo good. But never as good as my Auntie Christa’s 😉 There’s room to sit and work or read, or you can sit outside in the sun.
Denver Coffee and Bakery Honorable Mentions
Park Hill Hub
Little Owl Coffee
Hearth
Bakery Four
Huckleberry Roasters
Corvus Coffee Roasters
Fluid Coffee Bar
Novo Coffee
Thump Coffee
Pablo’s Coffee
Wooden Spoon Cafe and Bakery
Poulette Bake Shop
Denver Coffee Shops and Bakeries I’m Looking Forward to Going to:
Velvet Lasso
Vivid Minds
Reunion Bread
Coffeegraph
Copper Door
Cafe Typica
Sweet Bloom
Whittier Cafe
Hearth
Jubilee
Procession
Blue Sparrow Coffee
Ah, the culmination of years in Denver in pursuit of non-sour, non-bad coffee and pastries. Thank you for reading. Look forward to the next list in the Denver series, TBD! <3 Anna
